Price Action to Note: It Seems Humana Inc Will Go Up. Just Reaches 52-Week High

November 29, 2016November 29, 2016Michael Collier

The stock of Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) hit a new 52-week high and has $227.23 target or 8.00% above today’s $210.40 share price. The 9 months bullish chart indicates low risk for the $31.39B company. The 1-year high was reported on Nov, 29 by Barchart.com. If the $227.23 price target is reached, the company will be worth $2.51 billion more.
The 52-week high event is an important milestone for every stock because it shows very positive momentum and is time when buyers come in. During such notable technical setup, fundamental investors usually stay away and are careful shorting or selling the stock. About 957,792 shares traded hands. Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) has risen 16.54% since April 26, 2016 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 11.28% the S&P500.

Analysts await Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) to report earnings on February, 8. They expect $2.17 earnings per share, up 49.66% or $0.72 from last year’s $1.45 per share. HUM’s profit will be $323.75 million for 24.24 P/E if the $2.17 EPS becomes a reality. After $3.18 actual earnings per share reported by Humana Inc for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts -31.76% negative EPS growth.

Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) Ratings Coverage

Out of 7 analysts covering Humana (NYSE:HUM), 4 rate it a “Buy”, 0 “Sell”, while 3 “Hold”. This means 57% are positive. Humana has been the topic of 17 analyst reports since July 30, 2015 according to StockzIntelligence Inc. The company was maintained on Thursday, October 13 by RBC Capital Markets. Jefferies upgraded Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) rating on Monday, July 18. Jefferies has “Buy” rating and $210 price target. Evercore initiated Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) on Friday, September 23 with “Buy” rating. Credit Suisse upgraded the shares of HUM in a report on Friday, November 11 to “Outperform” rating. The firm earned “Mkt Perform” rating on Friday, July 22 by FBR Capital. RBC Capital Markets maintained it with “Sector Perform” rating and $215 target price in Monday, November 9 report. Barclays Capital maintained the stock with “Equal Weight” rating in Thursday, July 30 report. As per Thursday, November 10, the company rating was upgraded by JP Morgan. The stock of Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) earned “Neutral” rating by Credit Suisse on Tuesday, August 16. The firm has “Sector Perform” rating by RBC Capital Markets given on Tuesday, September 8.

According to Zacks Investment Research, “Humana, Inc. is a health services company that facilitates the delivery of health care services through networks of providers to its medical members. The company’s products are marketed primarily through health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations that encourage or require the use of contracted providers. The company also offers various specialty products to employers, including dental, group life and workers’ compensation, and administrative services to those who self-insure their employee health plans.”

Insitutional Activity: The institutional sentiment decreased to 0.91 in Q2 2016. Its down 0.19, from 1.1 in 2016Q1. The ratio dived, as 43 funds sold all Humana Inc shares owned while 172 reduced positions. 59 funds bought stakes while 178 increased positions. They now own 135.64 million shares or 4.91% less from 142.65 million shares in 2016Q1.
Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board holds 0.02% or 9,157 shares in its portfolio. Arcadia Invest Mgmt Corp Mi has 383 shares for 0.02% of their US portfolio. Moreover, New York State Common Retirement Fund has 0.1% invested in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) for 389,000 shares. First Commonwealth Corp Pa accumulated 4,761 shares or 1.09% of the stock. Raymond James And Associate accumulated 14,099 shares or 0.01% of the stock. Timber Hill Ltd has invested 0% of its portfolio in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM). Bailard Inc holds 0.14% of its portfolio in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) for 6,348 shares. Qs Ltd Liability Co last reported 2,860 shares in the company. Blackrock Invest Limited Com owns 950,666 shares or 0.22% of their US portfolio. First Midwest Bancshares Tru Division has invested 0.22% of its portfolio in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM). Moreover, Blackrock Grp Inc Ltd has 0.13% invested in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) for 1.43M shares. Farallon Cap Mgmt Limited Liability Company accumulated 1.73% or 700,000 shares. Eqis Cap Mngmt has invested 0.12% of its portfolio in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM). Security National Trust Com owns 2,959 shares or 0.2% of their US portfolio. Advisory Svcs Ltd Company holds 0% or 20 shares in its portfolio.

More news for Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) were recently published by: Businesswire.com, which released: “Humana Wins Two Stevie® Awards for Women in Business” on November 21, 2016. Businesswire.com‘s article titled: “Humana Launches Mobile App Designed to Improve Health and Social Engagement …” and published on November 22, 2016 is yet another important article.

HUM Company Profile

Humana Inc. (Humana), incorporated on July 27, 1964, is a health and well-being company. The Company’s medical and specialty insurance products allow members to access healthcare services primarily through its networks of healthcare providers. The Company’s divisions include Retail, Group, Healthcare Services and Other Businesses. The Retail segment consists of Medicare benefits, marketed to individuals or directly via group accounts, as well as individual commercial fully-insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits, including dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products. The Group segment consists of employer group commercial fully-insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits, including dental, vision, and other supplemental health and voluntary insurance benefits, as well as administrative services only (ASO) products. The Healthcare Services segment includes services offered to its health plan members, as well as to third parties, including pharmacy solutions, well-known provider services, home services and clinical programs, as well as services and capabilities to advance population health. The Other Businesses segment includes its closed-block long-term care insurance policies.